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After the Bomb/Character Generation
This is a set of rules for making mutant animals under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness rules -- for After the Bomb -- playable with Mutant Future. Mutant Animal Generation As noted, the rules to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness use an abstract system for generating mutant animals based on biological energy called Bio-E Points. For the sake of simplicity, Bio-E Points listed are 1/5th the normal rate. Here are the steps: 1. Choose animal stock 2. Adjust size 3. Adjust attributes based on animal stock and size 4. Buy physical and human-like features 5. Buy psionic abilities The chose of animal stock determines your character's base size, BIO-E total, attribute adjustments and additional options. Sizes are not fixed: players would likely have to adjust the size to make large animals like elephants smaller in order to free-up some BIO-E as they start with nothing, and to make small animals like mice large enough to be smart and strong enough to play as their adjustments heavily penalize them -- although, small creatures do get a lot more BIO-E than larger ones. Animal Stocks Aardvark Aardvarks are a type of anteater totally adapted to feeding on ants and termites. They are equipped with claws for digging into ant and termite lairs. Aardvarks eat insects with a long sticky tongue. They are found only in southern Africa. ('''Coming Soon:' more animal stocks)'' Physical Size Adjusting size works by having the player buy size increase with BIO-E, or gaining extra BIO-E buy reducing the creature's base size, all equal to the creature's size score. For example, a player choosing a mouse-based character would have a character with a base size of 1 and wants the character to be size 6. He'll have to spend 5 BIO-E points ta make that happen -- a Mouse (under Rodents) start with 16 BIO-E points, so he can afford it. On the other extreme end, another player wants an elephant-based mutant, which is a size-20 creature. The problem is that elephants do not start with any BIO-E points, so she'll have to make it smaller to get some points. She starts by lowering the size to 14; lowered by 6 levels. This would only free-up 6 points, so she considers more "shrinkage" for more BIO-E. Physical Size Chart Human Features All mutant animals have the following options when trying to make their mutants more animal-like: Note: Costs can vary with animal type. Certain animals might have human-like features by default. Hands None — this is a natural paw. The character can not pick up or grab objects. Many tasks are impossible without hands. Cost: 0 BIO-E. Partial — The paw develops fingers and a (non-opposable) thumb. Manual dexterity is now rough, but capable of grasping objects. Tech rolls are at -20% proficiency and suffer a -2 while using handheld melee weapons. Cost: 1 BIO-E. Full — A hand with a fully opposable thumb. No penalties for use of tools, weapons or skills. Equal to human. Average Cost: 2 BIO-E. Speech Important Note: All mutated animals understand human speech. None — No vocal cords capable of speech. (Character MUST purchase Telepathic Transmission ability.) Cost: 0 BIOE. Partial — Vocal cords are roughly equivalent to a parrot or a poor speech synthesizer. While everything said can be understood by friends, strangers may have difficulty. The voice will be growly, grated and animal-like. Cost: 1 BIO-E. Full — Sophisticated vocal cords equal to that of most humans. Character can learn singing, imitating voices and ventriloquism. Cost: 2 BIO-E. Upright Bipedal Stance None — Character can not stand upright without support. Average Cost: 0 BIO-E. Partial — Much like a bear, the character can stand and fight. While in upright position, speed is only a third of normal. Running, leaping, jumping, kicking and quick turn are NOT possible while standing on two legs. The character will still drop to all fours for running. Cost: 1 BIO-E. Full — This is a fully human bipedal stance. The character has the same unlimited movement as a normal, athletic human. Cost: 2 BIO-E. Human Looks Note: Animal characters who are very small (under Growth Step 5) or very large (over Growth Step 12) will be noticeably tiny or large, regardless of how human-like they might look. But, at least, a very large or small animal with human looks will only be considered unusual, not a monster. None — Character still looks pretty much like an animal. In other words, a wolf character with hands and bipedal stance would still have a wolf-shaped head, black nose, snout, fur, and pointed ears at the top of the head. Nobody will mistake this creature for human, it will look like a beast or a monster, NOT a human. Normal people will also assume that the character is unintelligent and possibly vicious or evil. (The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Splinter have NO HUMAN LOOKS!) Average Cost: 0 BIO-E. Partial — These characters look vaguely human and can pass for human in a bad light. Extreme features like heavy fur, long snouts and pointed ears are all reduced. At night, the character can pass for human if disguised in clothes that cover up the animal features. Anyone getting a good look will take the character for an intelligent half-man, half-animal. Cost: 1 BIO-E. Full — This fully transforms the character into something that can easily pass for human, not NORMAL human, but human. Hair will appear in normal human amounts. The body will take on a completely human structure, and the features like eyes and teeth will look more-or-less normal. Animal characters will never look completely human but, with this option, they won't be immediately suspect. For example, a badger character would still have a badger-like face, badger-like streaks in the hair and a stocky build. People will tend to say "that ugly guy looks like a badger", not "that badger looks like a human". Cost: 2 BIO-E. Psionics Psionic attacks can sometimes be resisted through the force of will. Roll a 20 sided die to save against psionics. NON-PSIONICS must roll 15 higher to save. PSIONICS must roll 10 or higher to save. Any character with any psionic ability you can save as a psionic. Unintelligent Natural Animals must roll 18 or higher to save against psionics. Characters with a Mental Endurance (M.E.) of 16 or greater receive a bonus on all saves vs. psionics. ANIMAL CONTROL Range: 50 feet Duration: 5 minutes Saving Throw: Standard This allows a character to command creatures of his own kind. That means a lion animal character could control other lions, NOT tigers or other felines. Two-way communication with the controlled animals is NOT possible without Animal Speech. The controlled animal will attempt to follow any orders. If the controlled animal is wounded it is allowed an additional saving throw. The animal psionic can renew Animal Control every 5 minutes, but the animal can roll to save every time. Cost: 2 BIO-E ANIMAL SPEECH Range: 150 feet Duration: 10 minutes Saving Throw: None This allows for complete two-way communication with animals of the same king as the character. For example, a rat animal character could do Animal Speech only with other rats, NOT with mice or other rodents. The animals will recognize the character as on of their own and assume that any human looks are just ugly deformities. Cost: 1 BIO-E BIO-MANIPULATION Range: 160 feet Duration: 4-16 minutes Saving Throw: Standard Each of the seven kinds of bio-manipulation must be purchased separately. Each affects only one person per attack and the victim must be within line of vision or each EXACT location must be know to the psionic. A creature using bio-manipulation can do no other psionics while the effect lasts because of the concentration required. If the psionic is knocked unconscious or uses psionics while the effect lasts because of the concentration required. If the psionic is knocked unconscious or used psionics in any other way, the bio-manipulation immediately stops affecting the victim. Blind: Knocks out the victim's optic nerves. Victim's are -4 to-hit. Cost: 4 BIO-E Deafness: Victims cannot hear anything. Opponents get an extra +2 to-hit in the first turn if attacked from behind. In addition, the shock on their inner ear makes them -1 to-hit, +1 AC, and they automatically lose initiative on all attacks. Cost; 4 BIO-E. Mute: Impairs the victim's vocal cords making speech impossible. Victims experience shock and panic and are - 2 to strike, parry and dodge for the first round of the attack. Cost: 4 BIO-E. Pain: The nerve centers are hit directly. Victims must pass a Save vs Stun in order to action normally in combat. One point of hit point damage per minute of attack. Cost: 4 BIO-E. Paralysis: Victims must pass a Save vs Stun or the attack immobilizes the motor part of the brain causing arms and legs to stop working. Victims can still see, hear, speak and think. Victims can not move or act. Cost: 4 BIO-E. Stun: Victims must pass a Save vs Stun or lose one attack per melee, speed is halved, and they have a -2to-hit. Cost; 4 BIO-E. Tissue Manipulation: Victim feels itchy, cold and hot. More frightening than physically damaging. -1 to-hit. Cost; 2 BIO-E. DETECT PSIONICS Range: 240 feet Duration: 2 minutes Saving Throw: None This mental probe will detect psionics in others. There is a 75% chance that the psionic can be detected by an other psionics in the area. This will not penetrate or detect a Mind Block and the Mind Blocked character will not appear to be psionic. Cost: 2 BIO-E. HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION Range: 12 feet Duration: Varies Saving Throw: Standard The psionic may induce his will upon another through the power of suggestion. This is a mental attack that requires eye contact and either verbal or telepathic reinforcement. The suggestion must be a reasonable one; victims will not do things that are completely out of character. For example, the hypnotic suggestion "kill yourself would work only if the victim were already suicidal. On the other hand, a suggestion that "you don't see anything unusual" would be very useful for a strange looking animal character. This works only on intelligent creatures, NOT on ordinary animals. A victim who saves against Hypnotic Suggestion will be totally unaware of the attacks. Cost: 3 BIO-E. MIND TRAP Range: 6 feet Duration: 2-12 minutes (special) Saving Throw: Standard A psionic who successfully traps another mind can inflict whatever experience he likes onto that mind. For example, the psionic can make the victim believe that he is trapped in a small cell. On the other hand, the victim could experience an episode out of the psionic's own life or imagination. One strange effect of mind trap is that the victim will experience one hour of subjective time for every minute in the trap. Victims of Mind Traps can make another psionic saving throw after they've been Mind Trapped. If successful, they will realize that the experience is an imaginary one. It won't help them get out of it, but at least they will know it's not real. The psionic could also run the victim through a memory of the past. If a victim realized the experience is imaginary then no insanity is possible. Keeping the victim in the mind trap is simple if he is put into a simple environment (cage, desert, ocean). The attacker loses one attack per melee when maintaining a simple environment. But if the psionic want to inflict a complex fantasy when the attacking psionic loses all other attacks or movements. EXAMPLE: Let's assume that Nightmare Bear of the Terror Bears is trying to Mind Trap Brownwing of the Sparrow Eagles. Brown wing attempts to save, as a nonpsionic with an M.E. of only 13, he must roll 15 or higher. He rolls 13 on a twenty-sided die, a miss. The game master rolls an 8 for Nightmare Bear on 2D6 to see how long the fantasy will last. The fantasy will last for 8 minutes and Brownwing is put into a complex fantasy where he is trapped in a cage with two, huge lions. Brownwing will try not to believe in the fantasy, he rolls and fails again. Meanwhile, Nightmare Bear is attacked by another Sparrow Eagle. He cannot defend himself while keeping Brownwing in a complex fantasy. So Nightmare Bear makes the fantasy simple by getting rid of the lions. Brownwing will still be trapped in the fantasy. Nightmare Bear will be able to fight but with one less attack per melee. This situation will continue until the fantasy runs out or until Nightmare Bear is knocked out or if the bear cancels his hold. To Brownwing the fantasy will seem to last 8 full hours. Optional use with Heroes Unlimited Characters can be driven temporarily insane by vicious psionic mind traps. This happens if the psionic creating the attack is insane, if the experience is particularly horrible, or if the fantasy involves the death of the victim. This does not result in permanent damage, but it is serious enough for the effect to last 2-12 hours. Roll percentile on the Insanity Table Resulting from Trauma. Cost: 5 BIO-E MIND BLOCK Range: Self Duration: 10 Minutes Saving Throw: None This mental wall prevents the penetration of Telepathy, Empathy, Empathic Transfer, Detect Psionics and all other psionic attacks. The psionic will not even be aware that a psionic attack is taking place. Note that this also prevents the character from "hearing" Telepathic Transmission. Cost: 3 BIO-E SEE AURA Range: 120 feet Duration: 4 melees/1 minute Saving Throw: None Allows the psionic to see the alignment, estimated level of power, type of creature (human, mutant, alien, meat eating animal, grazing animal, etc.) and the physical condition of the creature in their aura. There is a 15% chance per level that the psionic can recognize an aura that has been seen before. Mind Blocked characters are NOT protected from See Aura. Cost: 3 BIO-E SIXTH SENSE Range: 90 feet/self Duration: 4 melees/1 minute Saving Throw: None This is a psionic intuition that can protect from the character. There will be a premonition of danger when something is immediately threatening to the character. This includes hidden ambush, traps, or dangerous situations. Sixth sense does not indicate WHAT or WHERE the danger is coming from. Likewise, it does not work to protect anyone traveling with the character (Hey Bob, I'd feel better about walking on the right Gee! you walked right into that trap). Note: The character must specify that the power is being used. It does not work automatically. Cost: 2 BIO-E. TELEPATHIC TRANSMISSION (Mental Speech) Range: 150 feet Duration: Unlimited Saving Throw: None This acts as a simple and mind to mind speech substitute. Animals without vocal cords will find this highly useful. Range is roughly that of human speech, except that it is not affected by background noise. One problem with Telepathic Transmission is that it doesn't work with telephones or other communication devices. There is no saving throw because it is not an attack. At worst all the psionic can do is "shout" unpleasantly and the receiver can choose to ignore the message. The psionic can focus the Telepathic Transmission so that only a specific person will receive it or the Transmission can "speak" to several people at the same time so long as everyone is within the range limit of 150 feet. Non-psionics will assume that the Telepathic Transmission is normal speech. Note: You can't use this to READ anything. It's only good for speaking. Cost: 1 BIO-E